Yellowjackets: Season 3 Episode 5 – Recap/ Review

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Episode Details

Episode Title: Did Tai Do That?
Air Date: March 7, 2025
Network: Showtime
Director(s): Jeff W. Byrd
Writer(s): Sarah L. Thompson, Elise Brown

Recap

Is Death A Just Punishment?: Ben, Shauna, Taissa, Van

With Ben being found guilty, there is a question of what’s next and Shauna votes for death. Now, in terms of being an executioner, no one volunteers for that – not even Shauna. So, as with all things, the cards decide and Taissa is picked.

She doesn’t like this idea so in Van’s mind, the best thing to do is tap into her dark side. Taissa doesn’t know how to do that in her teens, and clearly doesn’t know how to as an adult. However, she has no choice and while Ben demands to be looked at in the eye if the girls wish to kill him, they put a bag over his head as Taissa lines up her shot.

I Thought She Liked A Challenge: Walter, Shauna, Misty, Mr. Matthews, Van, Taissa, Simone, Sammy

While Misty reveals to Taissa, Van and Shauna that Lottie died, only Van seems notable affected. In Taissa’s defense, Sammy finally wants to see her and while things are awkward with Simone, she is willing to try to co-parent. However, Sammy rejecting Taissa kills whatever could have been in that direction.

But while Taissa mourns the loss of her old family, and Van just bears witness as she thinks about Lottie’s death, Misty, Shauna, and Walter, decide to investigate and all converge at Mr. Matthews’, Lottie’s dad’s, penthouse. Now, Lottie and her dad don’t have the best relationship. She went with her mom when her parents divorced, her dad seemingly never supported her spiritual pursuits, but he was still rich and with him losing his wits, this didn’t make him the worst person to be around.

Granted, he can still be a bit mean, but with getting potentially $50,000 out of him, and always having the option of starting over with Shauna, in terms of having a family, it seemed before her death, Lottie always had options. But now she is dead, her dad is trying to keep an investigation from opening up so that it can close looking like an accident, and here are Misty, pretending to be a neighbor looking for a package, and Walter and Shauna acting like IT people.

Now, you may be thinking, Misty’s cover makes sense, but what about Shauna and Walter? Well, for a hot minute, it seemed the show was finally going to reveal who was stalking Shauna earlier. However, it just ends up being Walter, being as weird as expected, and seemingly, with Shauna knowing she can’t solve Lottie’s murder on her own, or prove Misty did it, she paired up with Walter.

It’s an odd match, and ultimately doesn’t work for her since she can barely deal with Misty after decades of knowing each other, so dealing with Walter? Voluntarily? With no history between them? Yeah, Shauna decides that is not going to happen.

Love & Mercy: Ben, Lottie, Mr. Matthews, Shauna, Akilah, Travis, Melissa

But here is the thing, which continues to show there are layers to Shauna. The same Shauna who can watch Ben be saved by Lottie, Akilah and Travis, all because Akilah had a vision that Ben could be their way home, is the same girl who would manipulate Melissa to slice Ben open so he can’t escape. Yet, even though she is still twisted, and murdered someone, decades later, she can step into Lottie’s room and feel something, even console her father, who clearly has something going on mentally, and allow him one final moment with his daughter through her.

It’s all very strange, but as said many times before, Shauna is the only character who, whether we’re talking about the past or present, has consistently held her own with neither side having more to give than the other.

Cast and Characters

Mr. Matthews (Michael St. John Smith)

At one point, Mr. Matthews was killing it on Wall Street and had a picture perfect life. However, from divorce, to later developing a degenerative disease, Mr. Matthews still may see himself as having his wits, but it is becoming clear he is on a decline.

Predictions

1. A part of me thinks Ben being the bridge home is going to be from him being the last person to die, or get eaten before the everyone goes home.
2. I think Shauna woke up Melissa’s darkness and while Shauna was able to shut down and put that side of her under a pressure cooker, Melissa didn’t want to or couldn’t.
3. Akilah is probably going to die trying to have a vision in that cave.

Review

Trajectory (83/100): Plateau

Highlights

Shauna’s Scene With Mr. Matthews [86/100]

What I find myself increasingly loving about Shauna is that she doesn’t just offer one thing. For most of the characters, even in the past, it is like they have this shtick, this trope they live up to, and they are stuck in it. As much as we love Misty, she is the weird insecure girl in the past and present. Taissa, she is always the one with so much potential to be and do something more, and while she has her moments in the spotlight, she never gets to really relish in it.

Heck, even with Lottie, she was the weird, wild card, and they didn’t know how to keep that going without her having some form of credible power and killed her off. But, like with Natalie, you could submit it was a mercy killing rather than letting a likable character go from rock bottom to digging their way to hell.

With Shauna though, because she seems to struggle with who she can be, is, or wants to be, there seems to always be something new or intriguing with her journey. She wants to be this housewife type, but there is this naughty, dark side to her. She willingly will interact with her fellow Yellowjackets in time of crisis, yet doesn’t have anyone to go to for moments she could be happy.

Shauna is at odds with herself in ways that is compelling and honestly, as a total character, season 3 has made her my favorite.

The Patterns In Relationships [83/100]

When it comes to Walter and Misty, both seem ot have the issue of making deep human connections which can be consistent and fulfilling. Misty, as shown through her childhood, is willing to make all the effort in the world, even if it means killing someone, but it seems the extremes she is willing to go to for friendship, if not love, are seen more so as liabilities than assets.

Walter, with all the time on hiis hands, and own eccentricties, seemingly was able and willing to match Misty’s brand of uninhibited. But, it seems through Walter, as we saw with Crystal, and maybe we’ll see with Melissa when it comes to Shauna, the best person for each character is the one they are willing to take advantage of the most, until they find a reason or way to dismiss or get rid of them.

In my mind, we keep seeing are patterns. Jackie used Shauna, Misty took advantage of Crystal, then Walter to a point, and it seems in all of these combos, all that was wanted was someone who makes them feel a bit more normal, supported, maybe even human. Yet, and this is for Shauna and Misty specifically, I think in being stripped of their weirdness, it forces them to take note of what else they have going on. For Misty, how can she operate when she isn’t being rejected? It’s what she is used to and it is almost like her mind doesn’t know peace if there isn’t the stress of feeling unappreciated.

Then, with Shauna, look at the Walter situation and Melissa. She knows Walter is damn near a male version of Misty, just with tech knowledge and money, yet she still hanged out with him because it seems a part of her easily can fall back in line and be the sidekick. Granted, unlike in the past, she’ll openly talk about not being comfortable and push back. But still, it is interesting to see how a lot of characters may have gotten older, know better, but are still struggling because they didn’t fix their problem, they just pressed on.

Akilah and Melissa [82/100]

I genuinely love they are building up these two. Granted, it continues to make things lopsided on the show, since they aren’t giving us new and compelling characters with the adults, but between Melissa’s journey to the dark side, via Shauna and Akilah buoying Travis and Lottie in the past, and having these out there visions, I’m invested to see what happens to these characters and wonder if we may ever see the adult versions of them or be devastated and have to watch them die.

“Yellowjackets” Guide

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